Door-opening device and lock for elevator-doors



F. A. BoEnTcHER.

DOORv OPENING DEVICE AND LOCK'FOR ELEVATOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED .IAN- I7. |919.

1,400,721, Patented Dena-1921.

flg: J. 2 SHEETS-SHETIL my mamma F. A. BOEDTCHER.

vDOOR OPENING DEV ICE AND LOCK FOR EL-EVATOR DOORS. .APPLICATION man JAN. 11. 1 919.

T1 ein..

FRANZ A. IBOEDTCHER, OF BERGENFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

DOOR-OPENEN'G EVICE AND LOCK FOR ELEVATOR-DOORS.

Let-061,721.

Application filed January 17, 1919.

T 0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANZ A. Bonn'rorinn, a citizen of the United States, residing in Bergenfield, county of Bergen, and Sta-te of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Door-pening` Device and Lock for Elevator-Doors, ot whichthe following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a devicek ot the class in which the door ot an elevator shaft is securely locked unless the car is abreast of the door in which event the door may be opened by suitable mechanism available to the car operator; to provide an automatic lock, associated with the controller' handle of the car-operating mechanism, whereby shitting of the handle is precluded while the door is open; and to provide emergency means torV opening the elevator shaft door when the car is not present.

Features of the invention otherv than those specified will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

ln the accompanying drawings, lf have illustrated one practical form of the invention, but the construction shown therein is to he understood as illustrative only, and not as definingl the limits ot the invention.y

Figure 1 is an inside view of my improved loclr installed in the upper part of a door of an elevator shaft;

Fig'. 2 shows the door openingmeans connect-ed to an elevator car, together with the controller locking mechanism;

Fig. 3 shows a door opening meanst'or an elevator shatt door which is suitable for emergency use;

. Figs. d and 5 show the locking' mechanism which connects the opening device with the controller, Fig. i showing' the: device with the controller locked, and Fig. 5 in a position in which the controller is not intertered with, but the door opening mechanism is locked; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of portions ot the locking device, Fig. 6 being a longitudinal section and Fig. 7 a cross section.

My improved safety device is composed of an elevator car attachment l. and an elevator well door attachment 2 which are adapted to coperate so as to preclude the door from beine` opened except when the elevator is abreast ot it, and, also, to preclude' the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22(1), i921. Serial No. 271,614.

movement et the elevator except when the door is closed, and locked.

For convenience, the elevator attachment will be described first. This attachment 1 1s provided at its top with two rails, an upper 3 and a lower el, which run over the entrance of the elevator and carry between them a suitable cross head 5, preferably a ball bearing cross head or hanger 5, and to this is secured the parallel guides 6 which are verticallyT disposed and adapted to engage a corresponding pin 7 on the lock 2, which will hereinafter be described. lt is sufiicient to state here that these guides always remain parallel and move with the cross head 5, carrying' the pin 7 between them throughout such movement so as to shift the elevator shaft door and open or close the same, as well as to lock or unlock it. One oi these guides 6 has a link 7', pivoted thereto. which is also pivotally connected to a bell crank lever 8 by means of a pivot 9 and a pin 10 which is adapted to engage the extension ot the link 7 and hold the same when in alinement with the main arm ot the bell crank lever 8. but not prevent the movement of the link 7 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The lower end ot the lever 8 is secured to a bracket ll which is pivot-ally mounted at l2 in the car 13. and at the front thereoiC and near the floor at any convenient place. The lower end oit the lever 8 carries a pedal anda pivot l5 which is connected to an upright rod 16 running to the lock 117. This lever secures the controller 18 when the rod 16 is lowered, and rails 6 in a retracted position. lt also serves to lock the lever tl against movement. when the controller i6k is operated. The mechanism by which this is accomplished will now be described.

rl`he loclr 17 is provided with suitable casino` 19. preferably rectangular as shown,

and provided at its 'bottom and top with' suitable slots' through which the rod i6 may slide. Near the bottom is a pivot 20 on which is mounted a rocker'l which is normally lrept rocked away from the rod 16 by a suitable coil springV 22. the upper end of which is secured to the rocker and its lower end to the casing, as shown; The rocker 2i has fixed thereto ai suitable arm 23 pivotallv connected to a link 26 which is, in turn, pivotallv connected to the handle 27 ot the controller 18` p The rod-16 is provided with a shoulder 2S (see Fig. 6), adapted to ride over the curved surface of the rocker 21 and when it does so ride it obviously cannot be lowered.y Now when the handle 27 is shifted one way or the other, as shown in Fig. 5, the link 23 is pulled down by the link 26 connected to handle 27, thereby pulling the rocker under the shoulder 28 against the tension of the spring 22. This locks the rod 16 against a downward movement and clockwiseoscillation of the bell crank 8 is thus precluded. Accordingly, the bell crank cannot operate to open the door when the controller is in a osition to cause movement of the car.

owever, when the controller` is in a neutral position and the car at rest, the plate 21 will be moved to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 wherein it will be out of the path of travelof the shoulder 28 of the rod 16. Now, when pressure is puton the foot pedal 14, it throws the upper part of the bell crank lever 8 to the right of the position shown in Fig. 2, and the rod 16 is simultaneously drawn downwardly, thereby preventing the rocker 21 from swinging to the right in this figure. The result is that the handle 27 cannot be shifted, for the reason above given, and the car cannot move because the controller 18 cannot operate.- To raise the arm 16 so that the controller can operate, thehand of the operator may be placed on the upper part of the bell crank lever 8 and the cross head 5 shifted to the left by these means or he may take his foot from the pedal 14 and place it on a second pedal 28 on a lever 29, pivoted at 30 near the floor of .the car 13, and provided with a suitable link connection 31 with the pivot 15. Lever 29 is so arranged and disposed that pressure on the pedals 28 will raise the bar 16,. Bar 16 may be guided by the .walls of the case 19, but the preferred method is to guide it by means of a bracket 32, mounted on a suitable bolt 33 set in the back of the casing 19 and provided with a coil springl 34 (see Fig. 7), so that rod 16 may be properly guided at all times.V Coil spring 34 encircles a bolt 33 and is positioned between the head of the bolt 33 and the bracket 32 and normally serves to force the bracket against -a flatbearing block positioned immediately behind the same. However, the hole in the bracket 32, through which the pin 33 passes isV slightly larger than said bolt to allow of the bracket being rocked laterally on the bolt by means of a small handle 24, The spring 34 normally maintains vthe bracket in a fixed position, but incase of injury to any part of the working mechanism, due to accident or other unforeseen cause, the handle 24 may be operated upon as a push'button to force one end of the bracket back and the opposite end of the bracket forward. This operation will. cause the rod 16 which is in the embrace of the bracket to be shifted forward and out of the path of the rocker 21 so that the controller may be operated to allow the car to proceed even though the door is Vnot closed and locked. It will be understood, that this however is for emergency `cases only, and the operation of the bracket in the manner described is normally precluded through the covering of the lock box 17 by a glass plate 25. While this plate normally covers the working parts and precludes their operation, it may be readily broken in case of accident to allow of movement of the car which would otherwise be rendered impossible with the safety appliances embodied in this invention.

1t is noticeable in this regard, that the releasing mechanism specified is accessible to the operator at all times and the necessity for crawling out under the car or on top of the car, as generally has heretofore been the case, is entirely obviated by this invention.

The door 35 of the elevator shaft is hung in the'usual manner, or in any suitable manner, as by rollers 36 which travel on a fixed track 37 of the usual kind, secured to wall 38 of the shaft. Mounted on door frame 39, near the closed position of the door, is a `suitable bracket v40 with an upwardly eX tending lug 41 which engages the corresponding recess within a detent or latch 42 provided with a beveled face 43 adapted to ride over the lock 41 when the door is closed.

When this door is closed the latch 41 rests in a corresponding recess adjacent to the beveled portion 43 and a pivot 44 mounted on a plate 45 which is secured to the door 35, permits a. swinging movement of the latch which is suiiicient to enable it to accomplish this purpose. The upper end of the latch 42 is provided with a coil spring 46 which engages a swinging lock arm 47, which, at its upper end,carries the pin 7 and near its lower end it is pivoted on a pin 48 on plate 45. Lock 47 also carries a projection 49 which is adapted to abut against a corresponding part of the latch 42 and secure the same so that it cannot be swung until the lock 47 is moved Vabout its pivot, whereupon the latch is pulled by the spring 46 so as to release the lug 41 as the door 35 is shifted on the track 37. y This occurs when the guides 6 engage the pin 7, as above described. i

There are times when the elevator is not level with door 35, and yet it may be desirable to open this door. This is accomplished in one embodiment of my invention by providing the lock 47 with an additional eX- tension 50 which is opposite `the extension 49 and providedwith a chain 51 which enters a guide 52 which extendsfrom near the top tonear the bottomV of the door 35. The chain 51 is provided near its lower encwith a ring 53, which is preferably placed in a glass, emergency case 5d which may be broken from the front of the door 35 or may be viewed from the front of this door and opened directly from the rear of the door. This emergency opening' device may be used at any time by simply grasping the ring 53 and pulling it down, and this ivill have the same effect as engaging the knob 7 and pulling` it as above described.

1n view oi' the foregoing, the operation of my improved device will be readily understood. ricssuming` that the parts are as .indicated in Figs. l and 2, and that the elevator is raised until the guides 6 come in proper contact with the knob 7 and that the elevator'is at the proper level and at rest with the controller handle 27 in a vertical position; the operator then places his toot on the pedal le and thereby lowers the rod 16 and locks the rocker 21 in position, While at the same time the bell crank lever S swings the cross head 5 so as to open the `door 35, as described above. 1f desired, the

operator may swing the bell crank lever S by hand, either Way. or he may open the door by the foot pedal lll and close the same by the foot pedal 28. 1n any event, he closes the door by sWinpjng` the cross head 5 to the left and then the door closes until the latch 4:2 engages the projection al, whereupon the door is locked and held secured by the lock i7 behind the latch 42. At the same time the bar 16 is raised by the bell crank lever 8 and then the controller 27 may be manipulated in the conventional manner to operate the car. lilhen the handle 27 is shifted, the opening` device is locked as above described.

1t will bc understood that mechanical and formal changes may be made in the structure described, such as the substitution ol equivalents, Without departing' from the spirit or substance of the invention, the scope oi Which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Fatent is:

l. 1n a device of the class described, shaft door, means for normally locking the door in closed position, an'elevator car, a controller for operating the car, and means, carried by the car, for operating` the door locking means-oi"- the shaft door when the car is in position at the licor, said lock operating' means embodying lock engaging means adapted to automatically engage the lock When the car arrives at the iioor, a toot operated lever for operating said lock engaging means, and operative connections between the lever and the car controller'for automatically precluding the operation of the lever While the controller is in a position to eli'ect the operation of the car, and :for automatically precluding the operation of the controller VWhen theV lever is in any other position than that which corresponds to the closed and locked position or the shaft door.

2. 1n a device of the class described, an elevator shaft having a door provided with a lock, an operating projection extending' from the lock, a car provided With a door opening, a controller on the car for VcontrollingV the operations thereof, and guides mounted on the car for bodily movement and adapted to engage With the projection of the lock, in combination vvit-h a bell crank lever Alor bodily shitting' the guides to unlock and open and close the door, and means operated by the bell crank for locking` the car controller against operation, While the door is fully or partially open.

3. `1n a device of the class described, an elevator shaft with a door mounted there in, a lock for said door, a projection ea-l tending therefrom, an elevator car With movable guides mounted thereon which are adapted to engage the projection on said lock, a cross head for supporting said guides and means for supporting,` said cross head, a bell crank lever and link connection for shifting said cross head, a controller with a handle extending` therefrom, a link connected to said handle, a. rocker and means tor mounting the saine for supportino said arm, and a vertically disposed rod adapted to engage said rocker and hold the same so that the arm will be in an elevated position and means for connecting said rod to said bell crank lever.

4i. In a device of the class described, an elevator shaft with a door mounted therein, a fixed projection secured to said shaft, a latch pivotally mounted on said door and adapted for engagement ivith the fixed proliection, a lock adapted to secure said latch in a place so that the door cannot be opened Without shifting' the lock, an elevator car, and means mounted 'thereon for shiftingsaid lock and opening` said door.

5. 1n a device of the class described, an elevator shaft pr vided With a floor door, a lined keeper, a latch pivotally mounted on said door and adapted to engage with the keeper to lock the door in closed position, and means for locking,` the latch in engagement with the keeper, in combination with an elevator car, meansmounted on the car for opening and closing the door, while the car is at rest at the floor, said means serving also to actuate the lock to lock and unlock the latch.

6. lln a device of the class described, a pair of tracks, a cross head 'mounted between said tracks, guides carried b v said cross head, a car for supporting said tracks, a link connected to said guides, and manually operated a lever pivoted in said car and connected to said link for shifting said guide.

7. ln a device ot the class described, an

elevator shaft provided with a shaft door, an elevator car operable in said shaft, shaft door opening means mounted on the car and embodying a manually operable lever, a rod, provided with a shoulder, associated with the door opening lever, a car controller, a spring controlled rocker operatively connected to the controller and adapted to rest against the shoulder of the rod when the controller is in a position to effect movement of the car, whereby the lever is locked against operation so long as the car is moving, said lever serving to shift the rod into the path of the rocker when the former is operated, while the car is at rest, to .loch the controller against movement until the door is again closed. v

8. In a device of the class described, a shaftdoor, means for normally locking the door in closed position, an elevator' car operable inthe shaft, a controller for controlling the operations of the car and means carried by the car for operating the door locking means to the shaft door when the car is in position at the floor, said door operating means embodying lock engaging guides adapted to automatically engage 'the lock when the car arrives at the floor, a foot operatedbell crank lever forv actuating the guides toV loch and unlock, and open and close the door, and locking connections between the bell crank lever andthe car controller whereby the car controller is loclred against operation when the door is fully or partially open and the bell crank lever is locked against operation when the car controller is in the position to effect movement of the car.

9. In av device of the class described, an elevator car with door opening means mounted therein, a vertically disposed rod with a shoulder running from said door opening means,-a spring controlled rocker adapted to rest under theshonlder in said rod when the same is'elevated, a car controller and means connecting the rocker andthe car controller so that the car' controller cannot be shifted when the rod is lowered and the rod cannot be lowered when the car controller is being shifted.

10; An elevator door locll embodying a fixed projection adapted to be secured to a door casing, a latch pivoted tothe associated door and shaped to engage with the fixed projection, and a locking member also pivoted on the door and normally engaging with the latch to lock the latch against disengagement from the fixed projection, in combination with an operative connection between the locking member and the latch, whereby when the locking member is operated to release the latch, the latch is operated to disengage the fixed projections and permit of the opening of the door.

ll. An elevator installation embodying an elevator car, and an elevator shaft in which the car is adapted to travel and which shaft isi'provided with floor doors, in combination with a fixed projection mounted on the shaft adjacent a floor door, a latch pivoted to the associated floor door and shaped for engagement with the fixed projection, a locking member also pivoted on said floor door and adapted to normally engage with the latch to maintain the latch in a position to lock the door closed, means carried by the elevator car and adapted to engage with the locking member, when the car is at rest at a floor, to permit of the operation of the locking member from interiorly of the car, and connections between the locking member and the latch to effect disengagement of the latch from the fixed projection when the Ylocking member is retracted.

12. An elevator installation embodying an elevator car, an elevator shaft in which the car is adapted to travel and which shaft is provided with a floor door, locking mechanism for normally locking the floor door in position, auxiliary locking-mechanism operable from within for normally precluding the unlocking of the dooruntil the car is at rest at the floor.

i3. An elevator installation embodying an elevator car, an elevator shaft in which the car is adapted to travel and which shaft is provided with a door door, latch mechanism for normally retaining the door in closed position, means for locking the latch mechanism against operation, and means carried by the car and operable to release the latch and permit of the opening of the door when the car is at rest at the floor.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication.

FRANZ A. BOEDTGI-IER. 

